Posted By Lynn Bartels On December 31, 2011 @ 9:43 am In Colorado Politics,Economy and Business | No Comments

After getting oodles of Christmas letters from friends bragging their kids are the cutest/smartest/funniest ever (doubtful) it’s refreshing to get a letter from the Denver communications firm SE2[1]. Pure genius.

To top it off, the letter came with two T-shirts, one that says “trending” and one that says “swag” with SE2[2] definitions on the backs.

swag: (swag) n. Acronym for “stuff we all get.” The obligatory corporate gift with a logo plastered on it. “I was excited when our consultant gave us a holiday gift but it turned out to be just the usual swag.”

trending: (trend’ ing) v. A snyonym for “currently popular” used by those who communicate in 140 characters or less. “Every since they hired that communications firm, they’ve been totally trending.”

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. SE2 enters 2012 stronger than ever. A terrible employment market meant that no one was able to find a better job SE2 grew to 14 loyal employees.

We recently got the staff iPads after months of incessant nagging and pathetic begging upgraded the firm’s IT capabilities.

Director of Research and Policy Illana Poley won all the office betting pools, as always continued to hone her analytical skills. She also spent hundreds of hours sitting on the highway before and after work conducted in-depth research on our state’s infrastructure challenges.

Principal Susan Morrisey continued to curse like a sailor contributed to an enhanced dialogue around the office.

Multicultural Specialist Abraham Morales taught us that Chihuahua dogs don’t actually come from the Mexican state of Chihuahua and has been teaching Susan how to curse in Spanish helped develop our cultural competency.

Brandon Zelasko, Associate and Interactive Strategist, spent hours every day on Twitter bolstered his social media expertise while forwarding funny photos of miniature animals keeping the office up to date on industry best practices.

Director of Business Operations Melisa Kotecki Schlote spent roughly 20 hours a day beginning at 5 a.m. eagerly devoted time to implementing a blasted an exciting new project management and accounting software system.

Principal Eric Sondermann[3]continued to entertain Denver’s shut-ins and others with no lives who watch local public television on Friday evenings partnered on public service journalism initiatives. He also spent hundreds of hours acquiring 2,000 friends on Facebook significant time broadening his network.

We were really excited for Associate Alexandra Levin to join the team because her family owns liquor stores in Denver of her strong local roots. SE2 just loves free booze talented, young additions to our staff.

Every office needs a token conservative friendly Southerner like Senior Associate Jill Hamilton. She is definitely the person juggling the most side projects – making pillows, founding a fashion blog with Laura and even planning weddings most well-rounded SE2 employee.

Creative Director Amy Guttmann celebrated her first decade with SE2. We stopped paying her three years ago but she still shows up every day. Her commitment serves as an inspiration for us all.

Principal Eric Anderson[4] continues to enliven the office with his marginally funny sharp wit. He finally got rid of his hideous murse upgraded his European male carry-all.

Creative Associate Margaret Maggie McEntee quietly cursed the rest of the staff as they bombarded her with unrealistic demands patiently managed a steady stream of creative projects.

Abigail Kesner, Senior Associate, discovered that even her obnoxious SE2 colleagues weren’t as demanding as the national network TV anchors with oversized egos she used to work with set an example for us all as a true team player.

Principal Sarah Kurz suffered from intense sleep deprivation as a new mother thought about her clients 24/7.